Wandle Park

Wandle Park has been part of Croydon life since 1890. It was laid out to signify Croydon’s burgeoning status as a business and industrial centre that was going places. The Victorian Park had a boating lake and the River Wandle flowing through it. The bandstand was also a popular feature providing entertainment.

Over the second half of the 20th century, Wandle Park fell on hard times. The river and lake frequently dried up, due to changes in the town’s topography, meaning the river flow changed profoundly. There was also a rumour of bomb damage during the war.

The lake was filled, the river culverted underground, and Wandle Park drifted gently into becoming an anonymous amenity park.

However over the last five years, though monies from the Heritage Lottery and The Mayor of London, the park has been transformed. The trees planted in the Victorian Period are now mature, providing an exceptional landscape structure to the park. The River is back, there is a new pond, gardens and bandstand and there is also a program of activates, capturing the imagination of the public.

Wandle Park is now a superb reflection of the desires of its 19th century creator’s as a place where a community can play, socialize and relax in high quality surroundings.